This invention relates generally to ski and snowboard edge sharpening tools and more particularly, to a sharpening guide assembly for use in association with an edge sharpening tool such as a file member to sharpen ski and snowboard edges, wherein the guide assembly is configured for improved wear resistance and extended useful life.
Properly sharpened snow ski edges and snowboard edges are necessary to achieve desired performance in terms of edge holding and turning capabilities. In the field of ski and snowboard edge sharpening a variety of types of tools exist for sharpening the edges of skis and snowboards. For example, Stumpf U.S. Pat. No. 4,721,020, Vermillion U.S. Pat. No. 5,485,768, and Vermillion U.S. Pat. No. 5,499,555 disclose various embodiments of sharpening guides in the form of angle members used in association with sharpening tools such as file members. Problems associated with such ski and snowboard sharpening guides include both wear problems and manufacturing problems.
With respect to wear problems, the angle members constructed in accordance with the above-identified patents include an integral surface or surfaces upon which the sharpening tools rest. In practice the sharpening tools tend to result in wear of the integral surface or surfaces such that the sharpening angle provided by the guides varies over time. Such wear is unacceptable because in many applications it is necessary to sharpen the edge of a ski or snowboard to within less than one half of one degree of a certain angle. Typically the sharpening angle or desired edge angle varies between about 80 degrees and about 90 degrees. Further, the surface of the angle member upon which the ski or snowboard rests during sharpening can also wear. With respect to manufacturing problems, angle members constructed in accordance with the above patents must go through a relatively large amount of machining which results in increased manufacturing costs, and/or angle members having differently oriented outer surfaces must be produced in order to achieve different sharpening angles.
Accordingly, one object of the present invention is to provide a sharpening guide assembly for skis and snowboards having improved wear properties.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a sharpening guide assembly for skis and snowboards having reduced manufacturing costs.
In one aspect of the present invention a sharpening guide assembly for skis and snowboards includes an angle member and at least one riser member. The angle member includes at least a first outer surface and a second outer surface, an inner edge of the first outer surface adjoining an upper edge of the second outer surface. The riser member is positioned on the first outer surface of the angle member and includes a top portion extending above the first surface of the angle member. The angle member may be formed of a first material and the riser member formed of a second material, wherein the second material has a hardness which is greater than a hardness of the first material. During a sharpening operation, a sharpening tool such as a file member is supported on the riser member such that the sharpening tool is positioned above the first outer surface of the angle member so as to avoid potential wear causing contact. A sole member positioned on the second outer surface of the angle member and formed of a material which is harder than the first material may also be provided. Both the riser member material and the sole member material may be the same and are preferably a ceramic having a hardness which is greater than the hardness of the sharpening tool utilized.
In another aspect of the present invention a sharpening guide-assembly for skis and snowboards includes an angle member, a first riser member, and a second riser member. The angle member includes at least a first outer surface and a second outer surface, an inner edge of the first outer surface adjoining an upper edge of the second outer surface. The first outer surface of the angle member includes first and second recesses formed therein, each of the first and second recesses including a bottom surface which is recessed relative to the first outer surface and having at least one sidewall which defines a perimeter of the recess. The first riser member includes a bottom surface and a top surface, the bottom surface positioned within the first recess of the angle member and the top surface positioned above the first outer surface of the angle member. The second riser member includes a bottom surface and a top surface, the bottom surface positioned within the second recess of the angle member and the top surface positioned above the first outer surface of the angle member. A sharpening tool such as a file member may be supported between the first and second riser members such that the sharpening tool is positioned above the first outer surface of the angle member so as to avoid potential wear causing contact therewith. Advantageously, the bottom surface of each recess may be machined to a desired angle which establishes the sharpening degree of the sharpening tool relative to the ski or snowboard edge.
The sharpening guide assemblies in accordance with the present invention provide increased wear resistance and are easily manufactured to desired sharpening angle specifications. In particular, standard extruded right angle aluminum may be used for the angle member. Although the aluminum is softer than the typical sharpening tool used in the ski and snowboard sharpening industry, the riser members and the sole member which are preferably formed of ceramic protect the angle member from wear. This protection also allows the angle member to be formed of other materials such as plastics. The riser members and the sole member are preferably secured to the angle member by an adhesive such as epoxy or a double faced pressure sensitive adhesive-tape.